Pioneers bats

silent in loss
By Steve Behr
sports@wataugademocrat.com

ICARD — Watauga’s softball team struggled offensively and fell 4-1 Thursday to host East Burke.

Watauga followed with a 3-2 win over Montour, Pa. Saturday and then lost 4-1 to Bandys later Saturday.

Against East Burke, the Pioneers (4-5, 2-3 NWC) did not get a hit until the fifth inning, when Emma Willard doubled in Kayla Kincaid, who had reached base on an error. Chandler Butler followed with a single, but Olivia Stanley, running for Willard, had to stay at third. The next Watauga batter popped out to first base and the inning was over.

That would be all the offense the Pioneers could muster. Watauga was set down in order in five of the seven innings played.

“We’ve struggled the last couple of games,” Pioneers coach Brian Vannoy said. “We’ve started to hit in the last couple of games, but we’re hitting a little too late and we’re waiting a little too long to get cranked up and waiting too long to make adjustments at the plate.”

East Burke (4-3-1, 2-2) did most of its damage in a third inning. Watauga starter Maddi Bakken was able to send the first East Burke batters she faced to the bench. But in the third, two of the Cavaliers that Bakken walked ended up scoring, as did another East Burke batter who singled.

Bakken also gave up a run in the fourth inning on an RBI single. She faced two batters in the sixth inning, before Nicole Reilly finished the game on the mound by not giving up a run.

“I thought Maddi pitched a good game,” Vannoy said. “She deserved a better fate today. We had some miscues on a couple of situations, but I thought she pitched a good ballgame.”

Watauga scored all three of its runs against Montour in the sixth inning. Beth Wilson tripled in two runs and scored on a Hannah Yates single.

Reilly went the distance on the mound, striking out 12 and allowing just two hits. Reilly also had a double offensively for the Pioneers.

Bakken struck out six and walked four against Bandys.Kincaid scored on a passed ball for the Pioneers, while Butler had a double.

East Burke 4, Watauga 1
Watauga 000 010 0 — 1 2 1
East Burke 003 100 X — 4 4 1
Bakken, Reilly (6) and Willard. Hudson, Conley (6) and Hoffman. W—Hudson, L—Bakken. LOB—Watauga 2, East Burke 4. 2B—Watauga, Willard; East Burke, Puckett. SH—Watauga, Wilson. SB—East Burke, Hoyle.